A banner year for restaurants in Sonoma County
After a bit of a lull in restaurant openings over the past several years, 2014 was a banner year for restaurateurs, both old and new. New to the table were several chef-owned restaurants, signaling an uptick in the economy, as well as flashier restaurants housed inside the Graton Casino and Resort. Cuisine focused on local products has become almost de rigeur, with local meats becoming even more of a player. Ethnic flavors are becoming increasingly mainstream as the world gets smaller and palates expand. Also this year: A number of pop-ups and food trucks have found brick-and-mortar spots to compliment, rather than eliminate, their mobile kitchens.
What we’ve seen less of? Traditional European menus have gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead, we’re seeing more “fusion” menus that include traditional sauces and preparations with newer flavors. Southeast Asian restaurants are eschewing their Americanized versions of dishes and lesser-known cuisines such as Korean, authentic Japanese (ramen, donburri) and Vietnamese are taking the forefront.
We’re also excited to see unexpected types of meat on many menus, including lots of locally-raised rabbit and goat along with serious offal - including tongue, heart, myriad sausages, kidney, liver and tripe on many menus - and plenty of bone marrow and natural gelatins.
The good news in all of this is that local palates are broadening, and restaurant patrons are embracing the creativity of chefs. And though prices have risen considerably, we’re also beginning to get used to the idea that locally-produced, sustainable food comes at a price. But oh, what flavor.
Here are a few of our favorite restaurant openings of 2014.
Pullman Kitchen: One of my favorite openings of the year has to be this Railroad Square charmer. It’s hard to nail down why I’ve been so smitten, but the combination of comfort and luxury just work. Chef Darren McRonald has perfected the roast chicken with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat (both light and dark), serving up the bird with a light pan sauce and two dreamy spinach Parmesan pancakes. It’s everything a roast chicken should be, which is comforting and hearty, homey and succulent. Housed in the former Syrah Bistro. The interior is familiar, with an open kitchen and cozy dining room, but the space now has better seating and a more open feel. The interior courtyard, always a bit exposed, noisy, and uncomfortable, has been sectioned off, giving it a more unified feeling. The rest of the menu is brief and fairly consistent (though seasonal ingredients come and go) with plenty of rib-sticking entrées including fish tacos, cheeseburgers, skirt steak, lamb and Manila clams with chorizo. What we’ve been inspired by, however, are the daily specials, such as a crab cake po’boy and fried green tomatoes. And don’t miss the bacon-wrapped dates with paprika, honey, and lemon. Dessert is just as inspired and just as comforting. Rich carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (notice the golden raisins, a nice touch), warm rhubarb and strawberry crumbles with whipped cream, or so-worth-it house-made ice cream. What seemed a stumbling block, adding a 17 percent tip to the bill, has been eliminated. Though the idea is noble (and will hopefully catch on), Sonoma County just wasn’t ready. Open Mon-Fri lunch, nightly dinner, and Sat-Sun brunch. 205 5th St. at Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 545-4300.
MY Noodle Bar, Tony’s of North Beach: There was plenty of gastro-hubbub when the Graton Resort and Casino opened last winter. The lineup included five sit-down restaurants and an impressive food court of which former Cyrus chef Douglas Keane was a part. Within a few months, Keane was out and the restaurants started looking a bit, well, quiet. It’s too bad, because I’m a huge fan of Chef Martin Yan’s MY Noodle Bar and Chef Tony Gemignani’s signature restaurant. MY China transformed recently to MY Noodle Bar, with an abbreviated, but easier to follow menu. Dim sum is always solid, and its one of the few places in the North Bay for really authentic Chinese dishes. I’m also a huge fan of Tony’s of North Beach, which on my most recent visit was nearly empty. I had one of the best burgers of my life, and the restaurant is offering a number of family-friendly, budget-friendly options to bring people in. After several informal surveys of local foodies, the No. 1 reason for not going: The cigarette smoke from the casino. Personally, I haven’t found it that offensive (there are state-of-the-art air filters and Tony’s has an exterior entrance), but it’s definitely keeping many non-gamblers away.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: